A Day in the Mountains

I hope everyone had a very Happy 4th of July! We had a beautiful day here and celebrated with a barbecue at our house. As part of the month-long celebration of my special "double 30" birthday, we had another ice cream cake for dessert, and my grandchildren helped to blow out the candles. Afterward, the boys went to a fireworks display. Older brother lasted till the end, while little brother fell asleep in his stroller. The baby granddaughter also fell asleep in my arms that evening, and as often as that happens, as I watch her during the day Monday through Friday, I still never tire of the joy of holding her.

Last weekend my husband and I decided we needed a break from house chores and decided to hop into the car and take a day trip drive up into the mountains. We had no set agenda---we just wanted to sightsee!

After the multitude of forest fires that occurred in Colorado this summer, it was nice to pass beautiful, thick pristine pine woods along the way.

We stopped in a town called Evergreen, at the Country Road Cafe, to try one of their legendary breakfasts.  They are a popular place, full of rustic charm and funny signs. Their menu was extensive, and it was hard to decide on what to order, but I finally decided to try something different and had the "Wildwood" (photo bottom left) which was two potato pancakes, topped with two poached eggs, pulled pork, avocado slices, Hollander sauce, cheese, crispy onions, and sweet jalapeno jam.  My husband went all out and ordered the "Holy Cow," which was a platter of mashed potatoes, topped with scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, cheese, country fried steak, and sausage gravy--it was all surrounded by french toast! His eyes were bigger than his stomach, and although he enjoyed it, he only ate half.

Well fortified, we started on our way again and passed Evergreen Lake.

I admired the houses built on hillsides that captured mountain views

On State Highway 103, at Squaw Pass Road, we passed the beautiful "Noble Meadow Preservation," which is 408 acres of a scenic wildlife corridor, preserved in 1994.

This land is important for the elks to graze and for calving, and their story is told on informational placards on the site. To enlarge this photo collage, and all photos in this post, click on them once,  and then again when they open larger, to see more detail.

There were rolling ranges of mountains in the background of this peaceful meadow.

This old log barn-like structure stands in the preserve.

We continued to climb higher on the road, with mountains looming in the distance, their heads in the clouds.

My husband and I were amazed by a large number of bicyclists we passed on the way, peddling heartily uphill!

As we rose in elevation I began to feel as if I were on top of the world and could touch the sky!

Even though clouds were steadily building up, the views and vistas we saw were awe inspiring.

The Rocky Mountains seems to ripple on and on forever.  Notice the abundance of pine cones on the tallest subalpine fir tree in the foreground.

The road twisted and turned with ever-changing mountain scenery .....

.....whose colors changed with the light between sunshine and clouds.

We decided to take our next break at Echo Lake Park, which at 10,600 feet is Denver's only subalpine park.

The 24-acre lake was formed by glacial moraine. It is popular as a fishing spot and for views of Mt. Evans, although the cloud cover obscured that view the day we were there.

The historic Echo Lake Lodge was built in 1926.

Click on the photo above to enlarge it to read more about this structure. Initially built as a shelter house for mountain park visitors, it is now a gift shop and restaurant.

The skies opened up and it began to rain heavily. We could not begrudge any rain that falls after the severe drought Colorado has been experiencing.

Even the bicyclists did not let the rain stop them!

Delicate alpine flowers were blossoming alongside the roadway.

Just look at the colors of these Mountain Bluebells!

Marsh marigolds were also in bloom.

I especially loved a field of poppies that we came across near a stream.

Their long stems and ruffled petals made them dance like faeries in the breeze.

They certainly added a bright touch to a cloudy, rainy day!

Due to the inclement weather, we decided not to continue on towards the summit of Mt.Evans, that has an elevation of 14,260 feet and instead headed back towards the town of Idaho Springs. I'll write more about that well preserved Colorado gold rush town on a future post!